Historic new legislation set to “reform the governance” of men’s elite football in England has been introduced in Parliament.
Coming at what is said to be at a “critical juncture” for English football, following the attempted breakaway European Super League proposed back in 2021, as well as series of high-profile cases of clubs being financially mismanaged or collapsing entirely, and in a bid to “put fans back at the heart of the game”, the UK Government has this week announced ‘The Football Governance Bill’.
At the heart of the Bill, and what is undoubtedly the biggest talking point of the new legislation, is the establishing of a new ‘Independent Football Regulator’ (IFR) as a standalone body – which will be, like the name suggests, independent of both Government and the football authorities.
The body will be “equipped with robust powers”, according to the Government.
It will revolve around three core objectives:
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To improve financial sustainability of clubs
Ensure financial resilience across the leagues
To safeguard the heritage of English football
The Government has announced a ‘historic’ new independent regulator for men’s football in England / Credit: Fanga Images | Connor Coyne (via Unsplash)
New owners and directors will face stronger tests to stop clubs falling into the wrong hands under the new Bill, and will also face the possibility of being removed and struck-off from owning football clubs in the future, if they’re found to be “unsuitable”.
New backstop powers around financial distributions between the Premier League, the English Football League (EFL), and National League also form part of the new Bill, and would be triggered to “ensure a settlement is reached” if the three leagues fail to agree on a new deal on financial distributions.
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And, for the first time in football history, clubs from the National League – which is Step One in the football pyramid – all the way to the Premier League will be licensed to compete in men’s elite football competitions in England.
The Government says this will, however, be “proportionate to any problems, size, and circumstances” of the clubs, and will involve a system of provisional and full licences to give everyone “time to transition”.
The Football Governance Bill will put fans first, with:
⚽ An independent regulator and licensing for English elite men’s football clubs 📃 More financial sustainability and governance 👨👩👧👦 More fan involvement 🏆 Blocks on breakaway competitions
Find out more:
— Department for Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) March 19, 2024
All clubs will be subject to new baseline requirements under the legislation, the Government says, irrespective of their licence status
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The provisional licence will require all clubs to meet some mandatory conditions as standard, including basic requirements on fan engagement, corporate governance, and financial reporting, and then the regulator will apply additional bespoke licence conditions on clubs, as necessary, to ensure they meet necessary standards for a full licence across three key areas – financial resources, non-financial resources, and fan engagement.
The latter is said to be “a central tenet” of the ‘Football Governance Bill’.
As part of the licence, clubs will be required to consult their fans on key off-field decisions – such as club heritage, and the club’s strategic direction.
Sports Minister Stuart Andrew said football clubs are “vital community assets” as the new Bill was introduced in Parliament yesterday (18 March), adding: “For far too long, some fans have been taken for granted, and clubs lost to unscrupulous owners.
“Today’s Bill will pave the way for the creation of an Independent Football Regulator, and usher in greater protections to help clubs and their fans thrive over the long term.”
Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day is back for 2024 to celebrate the international summer of sport / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”